As an innovation leader with a diverse product portfolio, the Schwabach-based manufacturer of temperature control units has driven the digitalization of information supply chains. To meet global requirements for product and marketing communications and customer service, a comprehensive analysis and action recommendation first captured and evaluated end-to-end processes, and then recommended actions.
The involvement of relevant stakeholders from the processes and systems involved ensured that decisions were prepared and made throughout the organization, setting the stage for successful implementation. In this interview, Martin DĂŒmler, Marketing Manager at Memmert GmbH + Co. KG, talks about his experiences and why process management and master data are an important pillar for the development of the digitalization strategy at Memmert GmbH + Co. KG.
This interview is also available as a free PDF version. (Currently only available in German.)
Around 450 people from around 30 nations are currently contributing to Memmert's entrepreneurial success. Hundreds of thousands of Memmert products have been in use for decades in more than 190 countries. What distinguishes Memmert today?
Now in its third generation, Memmert develops and manufactures heating and drying ovens, incubators, climate chambers and waterbaths for a wide range of applications in many industries at two locations in southern Germany (Schwabach and BĂŒchenbach).
The product portfolio is as diverse as our customers' applications. From medical to industrial to food processing, a wide range of air conditioning and temperature control units are available to meet almost any need.
Memmert is one of the world's leading manufacturers of air conditioners and temperature control units. As an innovation leader, the company's philosophy is to align new product development with customer needs while striving for the highest levels of quality and reliability.
The contact between your company and Xtentio has been established in 2019. In our initial discussions back then, it quickly became clear what challenges lay ahead.
Yes, it became clear to us that we have to optimize our so-called internal value-added chain for product and marketing communication if we at Memmert want to maintain our position as innovation leader and expand our lead.
For example, as the world becomes more globalized, the need for optimal customer support increases. Our highly diverse product portfolio requires clear internal processes and responsibilities, from product development, marketing and sales to order entry and manufacturing.
"Today, we are able to provide the most diverse customer groups with correct and complete information at the right time, quickly and reliably, according to their needs."
Martin DĂŒmler, Head of Marketing at Memmert GmbH + Co. KG
Martin DĂŒmler is Director of Marketing and Technical Communication at Memmert GmbH + Co KG. After supporting Memmert for several years as a technical product designer in special machine construction, Mr. DĂŒmler took over responsibility for providing product information and technical communication. Since 2020, he has been driving digital transformation as director of marketing with a focus on sales and marketing.
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Thus, the digital transformation was launched in 2019 in a major project. Process management involves the ability and willingness to change. Both are important success factors. What was your starting situation then and what is it like now?
For us in general and for me as project manager in particular, the so-called management attention was of enormous importance. We had the attention and support of the management and owners from the beginning. It was clear and obvious that a new era was beginning. The goal was to create a change from product to communication competition in order to have an optimal position in competition and market comparison.
Process management was a key issue and challenge. With the type of products that Memmert offers on the market, the topic of master data management probably also played a greater role. The two topics are closely intertwined.
Right, you raise an important point there. You can't have one without the other. In the as-is analysis, Xtentio's recommendation was to focus on the product information supply chain and evaluate the performance of ten business units along this chain. With an exclusive focus on product and marketing communication, we have end2ended all related aspects.
And the result was...
The result was a sober look at the current state of affairs and a list of actions that showed us in writing what needed to be done.
Based on the experience of many similar projects, we were able to see very clearly the maturity level of the product data information supply chain in the four dimensions of organization, processes, product data, tools and systems. Based on this, recommendations were developed, a roadmap was created, budget needs and effort were estimated, and more.
Let's get back to the topic of master data management. It is quite possible that product development, technical support, sales, product management, testing, and custom engineering have very different interests and perceptions of master data. The requirements for variant configuration must also have been an enormous challenge. How could all this be reconciled?
The recommended actions include short, medium and long term issues that have been listed over a period of approximately 18 months. The central "thread," if you will, was process management and data/data model/database.
Through the early involvement of all parties in the end2end process and the consideration of their respective interests, a very good project basis could be created with the professional support of Xtentio.
How would you evaluate the joint collaboration?
We have worked together intensively for the last year and a half. Comprehensive business concepts were developed, a PIM/MAM system was selected, the system implementation was initialized, new processes were initiated and the organizational structure was adapted accordingly. Piece by piece, Xtentio has guided us through the initial phase of the transformation. My colleagues and I are very grateful for this.
When you look at Memmert today, Mr. DĂŒmler, has the company's digital maturity level increased?
I can answer that unequivocally and with full conviction with "yes". Today, we are able to deliver accurate and complete information at the right time, quickly and reliably, to a wide range of customers. In addition to the external presentation and perception by our customers, we have also sustainably optimized the internal value chains of the so-called information supply chain.
What do you wish for the future?
With the introduction of the PIM/MAM system, we now have a powerful tool that offers us a variety of opportunities to simplify our processes and work more efficiently. I am particularly passionate about providing our business partners and internal teams with absolutely reliable product data. To ensure this, we will be implementing additional interfaces to internal and external database systems in the coming months. Through the joint project with Xtentio, we have already achieved a very good status. This must be secured and continually expanded.
Mr. DĂŒmler, thank you very much for this interesting interview.
Memmert is one of the world's leading suppliers of temperature control units. As an innovation leader, the company's philosophy is to align new product development with customer needs while striving for the highest levels of quality and reliability. The high quality standards are implemented in modern production facilities with standardized manufacturing processes and experienced employees. Memmert actively supports the quality assurance of users with a whole range of services and appliance functions. These include complete documentation of test procedures, FDA-compliant software, IQ/OQ certifications, and regular instrument calibrations.
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